Darci, the STEM Mom presented this powerpoint as part of a 3 hour workshop at the 2013 Minnesota Science Teachers State Conference. She challenges science teachers with six hands-on inquiry activities that engage students with not only science principles but also engineering, technology, and mathematics. STEM Mom also addresses the meaning of STEM, use and purpose of Lab Notebooks, how to create an environment friendly for inquiry, and how to modify lessons to be a higher level of inquiry. For each of the six challenges, STEM Mom provides a teacher lesson plan, tips for presenting the challenge at various levels, and two versions of student handouts.

1. Adding
the“TEM” into
our Science
Teaching
Dr. Darci J. Harland
NSTA Press Author
STEM Student Research
Handbook

2. Two Key Ideas
Failure Collaboration
is Totally Must be
An Modeled &
Option! Taught

3. What we get to do…
 Model for Integrating TEM into Science
 Gumdrop Structure Challenge
 Leveling Inquiry
 Domino Wall Challenge
 Tips for Lab Notebook-ing
 Elbow Model Challenge
 Planning an Inquiry Environment
 Paper Table Challenge
 Collaboration Board
 Mixing Mortar Challenge
 Living-Nonliving Inquiry Lab

4. Welcome
Anatomy, astronomy, biology,
botany, chemistry, earth science,
geology, physics, and zoology.

5. Welcome
A) Tools used to build, create, and
design, mechanical and digital
B) Digital teaching & learning

6. Welcome
Bioengineering, materials engineering,
mechanical, environmental, civil,
agricultural, optical, biomedical…

7. Welcome
Measurements, calculations, statistics;
The language & tool of “STE.”

8. Welcome

9. Welcome

10. Science teaching is…
Supporting students as they ask good
questions, and use STEM tools to find
answers to STEM related issues.
Focusing students on solving
problems in context of something
with which they can relate; students
learn facts along the way.

11. Gumdrop Challenge
Using 10 gumdrops and 20 toothpicks,
design a structure that can hold the
weight of a large textbook.

12. Gumdrop…Construction Zone
How could you strengthen the
joints?
Does the length of a toothpick
limit you? Is this worth
exploring?
What shapes are you using in
your structure?

13. Gumdrop…Check in Questions.
What have you tried that’s
NOT working?
What structures or methods
do you like best so far, that
you hope to include in your
final design.

14. Gumdrop Structure Testing
How’d You do?

15. Gumdrop Challenge
Big Ideas
Triangles are Strong

16. Gumdrop Challenge
Big Ideas
Squares are Not

17. Gumdrop Challenge
Discussion
 Shouldwe replace gumdrops and
toothpicks?
 Pros + cons?
 What issues do you anticipate having with
your own students?
 How might the activity change if the
number of gumdrops and toothpicks were
different?
 In what units might this activity be
beneficial?

18. Leveling
Inquiry
Cool hands-on activities are
not necessarily inquiry

19. Misconceptions about Inquiry
 Inquiry is not…the
same as “Hands-On.”
 Students don’t need
background information before
they can begin learning.
Lab Reports and post lab
questions are not usually Inquiry.

20. Its NOT Inquiry if…
 students know what results
they are supposed to get.
 the question and steps are
predetermined for students.
 the teacher is working
harder than the students.

21. Levels of Inquiry
Demo- Activity Teacher- Student-
nstration Initiated Initiated
Posing the Teacher Teacher Teacher Student
Question
Planning the Teacher Teacher Student Student
Procedure
Formulating Teacher Student Student Student
the Results
From: D. Llewellyn. 2002. Inquiry within: Implementing inquiry-based science standards. Thousand Oaks,
Corwin Press.
An interview I did for NSTA regarding my book.

22. Levels of Inquiry
Non-Inquiry Low-Level Inquiry
 Step-by-step  Students make
instructions some decisions
 All needed materials about how to study
are provided to the topic
 Many materials are
provided, students
choose what they
want

23. Levels of Inquiry
Mid-Level Inquiry High-Level Inquiry
 Students decide how to  Students decide what
test the question question to test
 Students develop their  Students develop their
own procedure own procedure
 Students request  Students request
materials materials
 Students analyze results
using appropriate
technology and math

24. Gumdrop Example
Student Lab
 Non-Inquiry
 Step-by- Step
Instructions
 “Right Answer”
PBS Link

25. Gumdrop Challenge
Student Lab
 Low-Level
Inquiry
 Shapes are
given, they
construct and
compare

26. Gumdrop Challenge
Student Lab
 Mid-Level
Inquiry
 Failure is
expected &
celebrated
 Students
critically
evaluate their
procedure

27. Bricklaying Wall Challenge
Use 8 domino “bricks” and playdough
“mortar” to build and test walls with
various brick patterns.

28. Bricklaying…Construction Zone
 Why did you stack your bricks
this way?
 What do you think will happen
when you test it?
 Does it matter how you form
the playdough?
 Would you pattern the bricks
differently if you were going
around a corner?

29. Bricklaying Structure Testing
 How would you suggest we
test our walls?
 What procedure would best
allow us to compare our
results?
How’d You do?

30. Bricklaying Challenge
Student Lab
 Low-Level
Inquiry
 Construct
patterns
 Test by lifting in
the middle
 Describe
results

31. Bricklaying Challenge
Student Lab
 Mid-Level
Inquiry
 Construct
patterns
 Write a
procedure for
testing the wall

32. Bricklaying Challenge
Discussion
 Are there better supplies to use?
 What issues do you anticipate having with
your own students?
 How might the activity be changed for
and advanced challenge?
 When might you be able to use this
activity?

33. Lab Note
book
Teaching accurate record
keeping

34. Lab Notebook
 Why?
 How early?
 Goals?
 How do student benefit?
 Why Not?

35. Lab Notebook
 Elementary
 Observe changes
 Record measurements
 Graph Data
 Label sketches/photos

36. Lab Notebook
 Middle Level
 Observe changes
 Record measurement
 Graph Data
 Label sketches/photos
 Write procedures
 Calculating
 Analyzing results

37. Lab Notebook
 Develop Tables for Recording Data
 Quantitative (#)
 Qualitative (descriptions)

38. Lab Notebook
 What does it look like?
 How do you organize it?
 How do you assess it?
 Is it Porfolio-ish? (with
reflections)

39. Elbow Design Challenge
Use the materials provided to design a
functioning model of an elbow joint.

40. Elbow…Construction Zone
 Is there another way to use
these materials?
 How can you attach
“muscles” to the bone?
 What’s the best place to
attach a muscle to bend the
arm? Extend the arm?
 Why do you need biceps and
triceps?

41. Elbow…Check in Questions.
What have you tried that’s
NOT working?
What structures or methods
do you like best so far, that
you hope to include in your
final design?

42. Elbow Model
Student Lab
 Non-Inquiry
 Use step-by-
step directions
 Assemble after
learning the
physiology

43. Elbow Model
Student Lab
 Low-Level
Inquiry
 Use limited
supplies
 After learning
anatomy
 Teacher
prompts to
remind
students

44. Elbow Model
Student Lab
 Mid-Level Inquiry
 Students request
supplies
 Before learning
anatomy
 Purpose of model
is to figure it out

45. Elbow Model
Discussion
 Are there better supplies to
use?
What issues do you anticipate
having with your own students?
 What do students record in their
lab notebook?

46. Planning
Inquiry
Students need to be trained
in the process of inquiry.

47. Two Key Ideas
Failure Collaboration
is Totally Must be
An Modeled &
Option! Taught

48. Attitudes you want to foster
 Things don’t always “work” out
 Failure helps us (re)think & learn
 Talking out ideas helps us think
 Trouble shooting is fun
 Tinkering is learning
 Playing first it helps us know what we
need to read

49. Create Inquiry Spaces
 Homago Corner
 (Hanging out, messing around,
geeking out)
 glue gun, craft sticks, garage sale
& thrift store finds
 Reverse engineering
 Create art
 What happens if…?

50. Celebrate Inquiry
 Encourage students to learn from
their failures….how?
 “Best Failure of the Day” award
 In the way you talk to kids

51. What could you say instead?
 Look, Jose got it right!
 Wow, Gabe, finished
already? Great job. You can
work on other homework.
 It broke again? What are
you doing wrong?

52. What can you say if…?
 Corban has constructed 3 non-
functioning elbow models.
 Over-achiever, Olivia wants hours to
plan out a design before ever
touching the materials.
 Fix-it Freddy loves to tinker but
doesn’t write or talk about what is
going on in his head.

53. Stair-step Inquiry levels
 Step-by-step  As a class develop
 Provide all
a procedure
materials  Determine what
materials are
 Learn classroom needed
procedures  Decide how data
 Lab Notebook should be
recorded &
analyzed

54. Stair-step Inquiry levels
 Provide too many  Students develop
or not enough procedures
materials
 Request materials
 Allow groups to
develop  Decide how to
procedures record data
 Groups decide  Analyze data
how to record  Present data
data

55. Paper Table Design Challenge
Use 8 sheets of newspaper, masking tape,
and cardboard to design a table that is 8”
tall and can hold a textbook.

56. Paper Table…Construction
Zone
 Community board

57. Paper Table Structure Testing
How’d You do?

58. Paper Table: What worked?
Rolling Paper

59. Paper Table: What worked?
Triangles

60. Paper Table: What didn’t work?

61. Paper Table: Why didn’t it
work?

62. Paper Table
Student Lab
 Low-Level
Inquiry
 Show the
importance of
rolling and
triangles

63. Paper Table
Student Lab
 Mid-Level
Inquiry
 Give supplies
and challenge
 Let students
build

64. Paper Table
Discussion
 Amount of paper & tape ok?
What issues do you anticipate
having with your own students?
 What do students record in their
notebook?

65. Community Board

66. Community Board
 Emphasizes the process
 Celebrates finding ways it
doesn’t work
 Communication between
students

67. Mortar Making Challenge
Combine various amounts of soil, clay
flour, and sand to develop the strongest
mortar. Develop a way to test the wall.

68. Mortar Making…Construction Zone
 Can you predict what will happen
once that mortar dries?
 Are there another materials you would
have liked to add?
 How would you tweak this current
recipe? What result would you be
hoping for?
 What problems have you encountered
and how have you solved them?
 Why have you chosen the materials
you are using?

69. Mortar Making Test
 How could we fairly test
our mortar and walls?
 What supplies do you
need?

70. Mortar Making
Student Lab
 Explain Mixture
 Testing
procedure
 Analyzing
results

71. Living-NonLiving Lab -Inquiry
A B C D
Determine which characteristics make
things alive, then categorize items based
on those characteristics.

72. How do you know its alive?
How can you test it?

73. Living-Non Versions
 15 stations – rotate
around
 Be tricky – seeds/rocks
 potted flower, cut
flower

74. Two Key Ideas
Failure Collaboration
is Totally Must be
An Modeled &
Option! Taught

75. Welcome Connect with Me!
www.STEMmom.org
drdjharland@gmail.com
Twitter: #djSTEMmom
http://www.facebook.com/
StemMom#